Saturday, January 7, 2023

Hawaii's Kilauea Erupting Again

Hawaii's Kilauea volcano starts erupting again weeks after officials activated National Guard amid fears over lava flow from neighboring Mauna Loa


One of the world's most active volcanos, Hawaii's Kilauea, has started erupting again weeks after officials activated the National Guard for lava flows at neighbouring Mauna Loa.

Hawaii's Kilauea began erupting inside its summit crater Thursday, the US Geological Survey said.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory detected a glow in webcam images, indicating Kilauea had begun erupting inside Halemaumau crater at the volcano's summit caldera, the agency said.

Kilauea's summit is inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and away from residential communities.Kilauea is one of the world's most active volcanoes. It last erupted for 16 months starting in September 2021. 

Hawaii had two volcanos spewing lava side by side for almost two weeks when Mauna Loa erupted for the first time in 38 years. Both volcanoes stopped erupting at about the same time.

The US Geological Survey raised the alert level for Kilauea due to signs magma was moving below the summit surface, an indication the volcano might erupt.

During the twin eruption, visitors to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park were able to see lava from both eruptions at the same time.

'It was a beautiful eruption and lots of people got to see it and it didn't take out any major infrastructure and, most importantly, it didn't affect anybody's life,' said Ken Hon, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's scientist in charge.

Mauna Loa lava did not pose a threat to any communities but got within 1.7 miles of a motorway connecting the east and west sides of the island. A 2018 Kilauea eruption destroyed more than 700 homes.

The observatory plans to continue monitoring the volcanoes for signs of renewed activity. 


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